


daydream

by chasingfire



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Happy Ending, Mental Institutions, RomCom AU, Romantic Comedy, angsty but cute, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:13:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27401014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingfire/pseuds/chasingfire
Summary: Jamie is a gardener at a psychiatric hospital. Dani is the "actually not crazy" patient who, one day, follows Jamie out of the hospital and asks for her help.Instead of bringing her back inside, Jamie decides to take Dani to her brother's wedding as her fake girlfriend, all in the hope to convince her family she's got her life together.Jamie and Dani are met with a wild adventure: from the wedding and embarrassing family encounters, to not-so-smooth flirting, to being chased by the police on an unexpected roadtrip. But, in the midst of it all, the two grow closer and quickly become inseparable.What could go wrong?ordamie starring in a romcom-drama
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton & Jamie Taylor, Dani Clayton/Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie Taylor - Relationship, Hannah Grose/Owen Sharma
Comments: 14
Kudos: 102





	1. the opposite of the end

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i love dani and jamie (like so much) and i wanted to write a kinda fun fic? yknow to cheer myself and, hopefully, others up. this fic will be based on the romcom-drama movie barefoot, a movie that i adore.
> 
> expect a lot of fluff, some angst, serious traumas & topics, but mostly just damie being cute and chaotic.
> 
> the first chapter is short... because i want to know what you think. so, let me know. enjoy! (:

_Plants… it’s what kept Jamie busy every single day. Her love for gardening had started at a young age, especially because of the people who kept disappointing her over and over again. Plants never disappointed her: they would never talk back anyway, and… they were beautiful. So, when her father got offered a job in the States over a year ago, Jamie was all too glad she could move away from the place she grew up in, and start a new life. She wasn’t exactly on her own: her parents moved into a mansion, while her brother and his fiancé lived on the same grounds, all paid for by their hardworking father._

_But Jamie didn’t want to depend on her parents’ money and never explore what was out there. A new life meant a fresh start, working for your own damn paycheck, as well as your own place and make the best out of it._

_Two months after moving, she had found herself a job at a psychiatric hospital. Not as a nurse, or a psychiatrist, but as a gardener for the garden that surrounded the place. It was like she had finally found what she had been looking for and, to her own surprise, the people there seemed to like her, as did CEO and head psychiatrist Henry Wingrave._

_A small year later, it was impossible to imagine the facility without her. Everything seemed to fall into place. Boring maybe, but it was easy._

_But little did she know, that a girl named Dani Clayton, would soon change everything for her. No more boring and easy. No, this something was special, exciting and needed a whole lot of fucking effort._

_But maybe once in a lifetime, someone was worth that effort_.

*******

“Already?”

Jamie looked up from the coffee machine, rolling her eyes at her colleague as she took a sip from her coffee before responding. “Need the caffeine to stay sane.”

“Fair enough.” The man - who Jamie knew as Jim - chuckled, hovering slightly over her to grab himself a cup of coffee as well.

It was maybe ten seconds before he excused himself and hurried to a patient that needed help. Jamie watched as exhaustion was all she could think of. Working here as anything other than a gardener was something, she was absolutely sure would never happen. _The damn stress_. No, Jamie would rather keep it to just plants.

As she walked through the hallway with the keys jangling from her overall and, the almost empty, cup of coffee in her hand, a sudden burst of loud voices came nearer. Although she didn’t like to admit it, Jamie was a rather nosy person when it came to these situations, and so, she found herself being a witness of the scene.

She first noticed the fragile looking, blonde haired girl, who was trying to escape from a nurse’s grip, while repeating the words: _“I’m not crazy!”_

Moments later, head psychiatrist Henry Wingrave invited the girl inside his office. Jamie didn’t know why, or how it happened, but their eyes met. The gardener could immediately see what the new patient carried with her: from the exhaustion in her eyes, to the hopeless aura that surrounded her. But as soon as Jamie had seen her, the sooner the blonde was out of sight.

In quite the confusion, Jamie made her way outside to go back to gardening. For the first few minutes it gave her the distraction that had always helped her, but as more time passed, she found herself zoning out, unable to draw her thoughts away from what she saw inside the building.

“ _Bloody fuck_ ,” she muttered to herself as she grabbed a rake and started scraping together the leaves that had crashed to the ground; fall season leaving its mark.

Even though she absolutely loved her job, it sometimes tired her out as well, being the perfectionist she was. Jamie eventually managed to get everything done and finished the day by watering the beautiful flowers that made the garden a bright and peaceful place to be.

After putting away her tools in the shed, Jamie went back inside the hospital to complete the work day with what she usually did: check out and say goodbye to Henry.

Jamie walked through the halls, wiping away the small amount of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. Only a few steps away from Henry’s office, a loud scream for help suddenly made her freeze.

Jamie didn’t hesitate. This was a psychiatric hospital, if someone screamed for help, it was serious.

As fast as she could, she hurried her way to where the noise came from. When she entered the room, her eyes widened at what she saw: a patient was strangling another patient on the ground.

Within seconds she forced a metal rod out of a rack near her and tried to warn the patient first. “Let go of her.”

The man seemed to freeze for a second, leaving the girl beneath him some air to breathe before he continued what he was doing. Jamie tightened her grip on the piece of metal, determined to put the girl out of her misery. In a quick movement she hit the patient on the back of the head; just hard enough for him to let go and drop down slightly unconscious.

With a heavy breath, Jamie looked over at the girl, her brows frowning as she recognized the face.

_It was the blonde girl from earlier today._

After pressing the emergency button, she crouched down beside her, supporting the girl’s back with her hand to help her sit up. “You’re okay.”

Jamie was then met with those eyes once again… up close this time, but she couldn’t quite read them now. Instead, she took the girl’s hand and tried to get her to stand. “Let me help you get back up.”

There was hesitance at first, but Jamie seemed to have comforted the blonde enough, and watched as she rose to her feet. A grateful closemouthed smile was what she received in return. “Thank you…”

Jamie watched in confusion as the girl trailed off the words. It took her quite some time, but she then finally realized the blonde was trying to get her name. “Jamie.”

“ _Aha_.” The girl spoke, sighing as she slumbered back to her bed and sat on it. Jamie didn’t move, although her eyes did. She couldn’t help her curiosity. “What about you?”

No gaze looking back at her, just a voice. “Dani.”

Jamie nodded, offering the girl – who she now knew as Dani, a small smile. “Alright, Dani. Look after yourself.”

Jamie decided to leave, motioning to the room as a nurse hurried through the hall. She waited patiently, fumbling with the keys in her hands. When the nurse left the room - with the patient who she’d knocked out - flashed her a thumbs up, she sighed in relief. Knowing Dani was safe now, meant it was okay to call it a day.

A quick visit to Henry Wingrave was all that remained.

She left a soft knock on the door, before opening it. Henry turned to her from behind his computer. “Ha, Jamie! Done for the day?”

“I guess,” she shrugged, leaning against the door. “Two more days until the boring ol’ lazy weekend.”

“You mean _one_ day,” Henry corrected her, a small grimace on his face.

Jamie tried to remember what was going on. _Did she ask for a day off?_ “What?”

“Your brother’s wedding.”

 _Right…_ “Fuck.”

“You forgot?”

“Seems I did, huh?” she scoffed, rubbing her forehead in slight stress. “I'm really not in the mood for that _shite_.”

She turned around to leave, but quickly turned back again. “Thanks for reminding me. Have a good day.”

“You too, Jamie.”

Jamie hadn’t even reached her car yet, before she got uninterrupted yet again. She grabbed the ringing phone from her front pocket, and rolled her eyes at the caller ID before accepting the call. “Hurry up, I want to go home.”

“ _That’s how you greet your mother?”_

“Yes. Now, what do you want?”

_“We’re expecting you the day after tomorrow for your brother’s wedding. You’re still coming, right?”_

_Sadly._

“Of course, I am. Is that all?”

 _“I wanted to ask if I need to add someone to the guest list… have you already met someone_?”

Jamie rolled her eyes in annoyance, knowing she could’ve expected the question. To shut her mother up, she just went on with it. “Yes, I have. I will bring her with me, okay? Bye.”

_“Jamie! Why didn’t you t—”_

“See you on Friday.”

As she stepped into her car and went over the conversation again, she came to the conclusion that she had made the dumbest decision ever. Her parents now expected her to bring a plus one, and she barely knew anyone here, let alone a girl who wanted to pretend to be her girlfriend.

She was _fucked_.

With that in mind, she drove away, rushing through the traffic until she finally found herself stepping out of the vehicle and into the apartment complex.

She unlocked the door, threw her keys on the counter and made her way to the bathroom. In the shower, her thoughts became even more of a chaos, trying to process today.

Maybe it was the hectic day, or just herself, but when she had cooked herself some dinner and switched on the TV, she could feel her eyes fighting the urge to close.

After cleaning up the dishes and crashing back on the sofa, Jamie didn’t even remember how she fell asleep. What she would remember, though, was how she’d vaguely dream of the blonde who hadn’t left her mind ever since their first encounter.

Jamie wouldn’t think anything of it. It was nothing, just a dream.

What she didn’t know, was that the next day would bring it - maybe in the weirdest way _ever_ \- to life.


	2. absolutely insane

It was almost noon, meaning Jamie’s workday would soon start. It was just an afternoon because, sadly, the upcoming weekend would be full of family drama, stress and the damn wedding. Not to forget; she still hadn’t found a girl to take with her. Time was ticking, and Owen and Hannah weren’t helping _at all._

“Come on, Owen. I only have today left, imagine the look on my parents' faces when I arrive all alone.” Jamie said, taking a drag from her cigarette as she leaned back on the hood of her car.

 _“It’s not like they aren’t used to it.”_ Hannah’s voice sounded, followed by an advice before Jamie could react. _“Isn’t there a colleague around?”_

 _“Or try to find someone on Tinder, or whatever they use these days…”_ Owen followed up. Jamie realized the phone was on speaker, the two lovebirds probably snickering as they tried to come up with ways to help her.

Jamie loved the two. It had been tough when she first came to town, but after spending a night at a restaurant called _a Batter Place_ , Jamie had already made the best of friends. Owen and Hannah were the owners of the place. They all had one thing in common… or maybe two: they were all British and they all loved a bite of good food.

Ever since that one night, it became a weekly thing to meet up, have a drink and talk nonsense with each other. It made it easier to integrate in her new lifestyle, and a year later, here she was. 

“No.” Jamie stated, throwing the cigarette on the ground and crushing it with her foot. “And no. _God_ , Owen, I don’t do those dating apps. I don’t even _want_ to date.”

 _“Darling, listen…”_ There came Hannah again with her wise advice. _“You still have today. If it doesn’t work out, then… let it be. Your parents will understand.”_

Hannah may be right, but Jamie also didn’t want to disappoint her parents. Unsure of what to say, Jamie let out a stressed sigh. “I think it’s time for me to get to it. I’ll give you a ring tomorrow. Thank you both.”

_“Maybe the plants will give you—”_

“Bye, Owen.” 

With a chuckle and a shake of the head, Jamie got up from her car and made her way to the hospital. There wasn’t exactly time to drink some coffee, or have a laugh with Henry, or whatever she loved to do before rolling up her sleeves. Instead, she went directly to the shed and grabbed a weed trimmer. 

The number of weeds that had grown in the past few days were enormous, meaning the task would occupy quite some time this afternoon. But… before getting to it, she made a walk past her favorite plants. Some she had given a name, a few of them had died a tragic death. Still, Jamie poured her all into it. It was a passion, and one she wouldn’t ever want to lose.

Once she walked past the Gerberas, she found herself coming to a stop. It wasn’t something she often did, but today was one of those days wherein she crouched down in front of some flowers, admiring their beauty as she went through all that was on her mind. 

_“Got myself into some deep shite, huh?”_ she whispered, putting her hands atop of her legs before standing up again. 

With the stress of the upcoming days in mind, Jamie started trimming the weeds, hoping it would keep her busy long enough. To her own surprise, it did.

The afternoon had gone by in what felt like only a blink. After putting away her gardening tools and closing the shed, she followed her daily routine and entered the hospital, searching for Henry Wingrave. 

Luckily this time, she didn’t get interrupted by a scream for help. The door of Henry’s office was open a crack and Jamie peaked her head through it, a small smile dancing on her lips as she saw two familiar faces. 

Flora and Miles Wingrave; Henry’s niece and nephew, who he often took care of when his brother was on a business trip. The two had flown all the way to the States in a private-jet, to once again stay with their uncle for a long weekend. Jamie had seen the two little troublemakers a lot in the year that she worked here. Not to mention Flora and Miles _loved_ Jamie.

Flora was the first one to notice Jamie standing in the doorway, her eyes lighting up when she took sight of the brunette and ran up towards her. “Jamie!”

“Hey, little one.” Jamie, in her turn, opened the door and stood with her arms wide open to take Flora in. 

Once she put the girl down and felt Flora hold on to her hand, she greeted the boy. “Ha, Miles.”

He flashed her a small wave. “Hi, Miss Taylor.”

“You can just call her Jamie, Miles.” Henry chuckled, giving him a pat on his head. 

The boy just shrugged. “I like this better.”

Jamie felt Flora tuck on her hand and let herself get dragged to one of the chairs across from Henry, placing Flora on her lap as she eyed her boss. “It’s that time again, huh?”

“Yes,” Henry smiled at the two children, before looking back at Jamie. “Yes, indeed.”

Flora then turned to Jamie. “Can I help in the garden tomorrow?”

Jamie felt bad for having to disappoint the girl. She would’ve – with all her heart – loved to be working in the garden with Flora tomorrow, but she was expected at her brother’s wedding and there was no escape. “I’m sorry, little one. I have the day off tomorrow.” She then leaned in to whisper, _“It’s a wedding.”_

Flora gasped at the words. “You’re getting married?”

Jamie laughed, and so did Henry. She shook her head, “No, silly. My brother is.”

“Then when are _you_ getting married?” Flora asked, taking Jamie quite by surprise. 

“I uh…” Jamie trailed off. “When I’ve found the right person. You see…” she continued as Flora listened attentively. “Sometimes you meet someone and you just know.”

All Flora did was blink a few times with no other response. Jamie knew the girl would take in everything she’d told her, Flora always did. A look at the clock made her come to the realization that twenty minutes had already passed, which was way longer than she intended for it to be. She still needed to pack her things, drive four hours and arrive at her parents’ mansion before the next day. 

Jamie put Flora down and got up from the chair. “I think it’s time for me to go.”

Henry nodded at her. “Don’t forget to have fun.”

“I’ll try,” Jamie responded, flashing him a thankful. Before she closed the door behind her, she said goodbye to the two little shits. “Be nice to your uncle. Bye, kiddos.”

Jamie hurried out of the hospital and quickly let her feet lead herself to her car. _Of fucking course_ this day was meant to end in stress; still no girl to take with her to the wedding, probably having a broken night before the event and feeling miserable around all those happy people the next day. Throwing her backpack into the backseat, she was about to open the driver’s door but got stopped by a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. 

With a frown on her face, she looked up to see who the voice belonged to. Her eyes widened when she noticed who it actually was. The blonde hadn’t really left her mind since yesterday, and she surely didn’t forget her name. “Dani?”

The young woman sounded out of breath as she stood a few feet away from Jamie. “I-I… I need your help. _Please._ ”

Jamie’s confusion only got worse, trying to comprehend what the hell was going on. “Why aren’t you inside? Do I need to call H—”

“No!” Jamie backed away at the raise of Dani’s voice, it sounding calmer as the blonde continued. “ _No._ I’m not crazy, I don’t want to go back in. I want to live a normal life.”

Jamie simply didn’t know what to say. So, all that came out was without thinking. “How am I supposed to help you? Take you with me and lose my job?”

“I mean…”

“No.”

Right as she spoke that one simple word, she came up with an idea. _Dani would go with her to the wedding_. It was crazy, maybe even _absolutely insane_ , but it would fix all her problems for the upcoming weekend. Yes, the consequences would be… incalculable, but that was an issue for later. 

A minute or two had passed, before Jamie closed her eyes, took a deep sigh and looked at Dani, who was now shaking from the cold in the sloppy t-shirt and trousers she was wearing. Jamie knew it was the stupidest thing she would ever do, but she did it anyways. “Okay. Get in.”

The blonde, who had already given up on receiving Jamie’s help, locked eyes with the brunette. Her eyes lit up with gratefulness and excitement as she walked up to Jamie’s car. 

Jamie sat behind the steering wheel and waited for Dani to get in. Once she did, Jamie raced out of the parking lot and on towards her apartment. When she arrived and got out of the car, she faced Dani. “Stay in the car. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

Before Dani could even say something, the door slammed shut. Around five minutes later, Jamie returned with a small trolley and threw it in the backseat. She then sat down on the driver’s seat, handing Dani a hoodie. The blonde looked at her in confusion, so Jamie explained. “Put it on. You’re cold.”

Once Dani had accepted the offer, Jamie started the engine and drove away from her apartment and out of the suburbs. It was silent, with some old music playing from the radio. 

Dani was the one to break that silence. “Where are we going?”

Jamie didn’t look at her, but did respond. “My parents.”

“You’re taking me to… meet your parents?” 

“Yes,” Jamie immediately responded, before realizing what she had said. “Or, no. It’s my brother’s wedding tomorrow and I told them I would bring my girlfriend.”

“Then why didn’t you take her?”

“I lied about having one. So, _please_ , play along and act like we’re in love and all that shite.”

Dani just nodded, which confused Jamie all the more. “If you’re okay with it, though…”

Dani turned to meet her eyes with a small smile. “I am.”

“Great.” Jamie smiled in response, before turning her gaze back on the road. 

The first hour and a half went by less quiet than before, but still… quiet. Jamie just listened as Dani hummed along to some of the music, keeping her focus on the road most of the time, while often peaking a glance at the blonde next to her. Jamie believed her more and more; there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her, at least not as heavy for her to be staying at a mental hospital. 

But if Jamie wanted to know the truth, she would have to ask Dani. It’s what she planned on doing, maybe even today. 

After driving for two hours, Jamie decided to pull over at a resting point. Parking the car far away from the other cars at the spot, she got out of the vehicle and sat down on a bench near it. As she lit up a cigarette and took a hit, she waited for Dani to come. After a few seconds, the car door opened and the blonde sat down next to her.

“So uh, may I ask why they… hospitalized you?” Jamie asked softly, exhaling the smoke.

Dani had her hands folded, looking down at them before looking ahead of her. 

Jamie felt bad for asking the question and was about to ask the girl if she was okay, but didn’t get the time to do so as Dani started talking. Jamie decided to be there and listen. _Just_ listen. 

“My father passed away when I was ten,” Dani spoke shakily, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “I lived with my mother, who turned into an alcoholic because of his death. I was all alone, except that I had Edmund, my best friend since third grade. I became a part-time primary school teacher and was a nanny for two days a week at a lovely family. I could even live with having an alcoholic mother who didn’t care at all. But then things changed…”

Jamie noticed how Dani had taken a few seconds to rest. It bothered her that she asked her the question, so she tried her best to comfort the blonde. “You don’t have to—”

Dani shook her head, eyeing Jamie. “It’s okay. You need to know I’m not a crazy person. I need someone to believe me.”

Jamie nodded at the words, not even thinking when she placed a hand over Dani’s folded ones as a sign of support. When they both didn’t mention it, Dani continued her story. “Eddie asked me to marry him and I said yes. He was _so_ happy, so was his family. But I wasn’t. I forced myself to do it, forced myself to let time pass by and let the wedding come closer, try on the wedding dress and eventually went out for dinner with him. That was the day I knew I had to tell him. I didn’t even get the chance, as he stormed out of the restaurant. I followed him, stepped into the car with him as he drove away. He…” Dani took a moment to breathe, closing her eyes as the tears began to fall. “He was furious. I told him it wasn’t what he thought. It wasn’t him; it was me. It was all on _me._ He didn’t pay attention to the road a-and… a truck came from his side, slamming right into the car. In a matter of a few seconds, I watched life leave his eyes, before my own sight went black. Next thing I knew, I woke up to a hospital light. I had a broken arm, ankle and a lot of ribs. But that wasn’t even the worst… I had memory loss, and bit by bit, pieces came back to me. I went through months of revalidation, but the pieces coming back to me became worse. I started seeing him; Eddie as his life was taken away from him. _Everywhere_. They declared me mentally unstable… _crazy_. You can guess what happened next…”

Jamie felt the shivers run over her entire body, exhaling deeply as she turned herself and her hand away from Dani. She took a few minutes to process it all and then faced the blonde, who looked as fragile as ever. “Do you still see him?”

Dani nodded. “Not as often, though.”

“Is he here now?”

Dani took a quick look around, before coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t. And so, she shook her head. 

“That must be nice,” Jamie said, offering her a sad smile.

“It feels like a relief.”  
Jamie just looked at her. When she realized she was staring, she quickly stood up and waited for Dani to do the same. Jamie didn’t exactly know what to do, so she wrapped her arms around the blonde. It came as a shock to Dani, who needed a moment to reciprocate the gesture. 

As Jamie pulled away, she tried to lighten up the mood. “So, primary school teacher _and_ a nanny?”

Dani couldn’t stop herself from bursting out in laughter, biting her lip in fondness of Jamie as she looked back up at the brunette. “I guess I just love them.”

Jamie laughed along with her, happy she succeeded in changing the vibe that surrounded them. She pointed at her car, “Hop in, Poppins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... that was the second chapter. i hope you all liked it!! thanks for all the kinds messages i've already received. wow. just wow. i appreciate it so much. oh and, you can also follow me on twitter: @reyesdamie
> 
> let me know what you think and until the next one! (:
> 
> btw u can also follow my sad ass damie playlist and cry with me mwuah  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/06MjQvgSulwFDkYI8sPGX2?si=lSXnqGg4TuG5tInCSgJUKQ


End file.
